


Andal at Twilight Gap

by ThunderHawk727



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Battle of the Twilight Gap, Husbands, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:54:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27909301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThunderHawk727/pseuds/ThunderHawk727
Summary: I love Andal Brask as a character and wanted to give him some more time in the spotlight. The Battle of Twilight Gap is one of my favorites too so I combined the two.
Relationships: Andal Brask/Cayde-6
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Andal at Twilight Gap

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoy my writing and wanna connect with me join me on Facebook! The group is called Thunderhawk Writing. See you star side.

Wrath and fury drove him. The battle had disintegrated from clean ordered conflict to a blood slicked and frenzied fight for survival. The fighting had been going on for days, and he was barely hanging on. Feet heavy with exhaustion, Andal darted from his cover, feet kicking up loose rocks and shell casings. Grunting, he felt rounds ping against the stiff steel plates of his chest armor. Sliding haphazardly he ducked behind the next bit of cover, a low wall of battered masonry, pockmarked with bullet holes. Small arms fire hurtled over his head as he reached for the next magazine on his bandolier. Chest heaving, he slid a fresh magazine into the auto rifle he had opted for instead of his beloved sniper. The motions were quick, precise and practiced. Taking a deep breath he popped out of cover, using the wall to steady his aim, and dropped three Vandals before they could react. Ducking back down he heard rounds zing overhead, into the wall behind him. Patching into his comms he barked, 

"This is Hunter Vanguard Andal Brask. Requesting immediate back up. My fireteam was cut down. I repeat, Hunter Vanguard asking for immediate assistance.”

Snarling he popped back out of cover and peppered the field with gunfire, the rifle clicked as he ran it dry. Again. Bone white smoke snaked from the red hot barrel, as he slammed another magazine in. How many rounds did he have to pour into the chittering mass of Fallen before him? How many Guardians did he have to watch die to keep the Fallen out of the City? The ground shook as the tell tale sound of a walker caught his ear. Fear raced down his spine with icy claws. He was alone. Rounding the corner came the walker. Crawling forward on six legs it looked positively menacing. Reaching for his light, Andal was prepared to make one final stand. If this was the field on which he died, then he would take as many with him as he could.  
Before he could move another inch arc energy screamed above him. Hurtling toward the walker was none other than Lord Shaxx himself. Fists wreathed in lightning the Titan threw himself bodily into the walker. Metal screamed as the colossal Titan tore at the reactor in the walker’s neck and caused it to go into a full meltdown.  
Boots on the ground behind him caused him to whirl around, and nearly put a bullet in the forehead of the one he cherished above all. Cayde-6. All blue steel and ferocity, the Exo launched himself at a Fallen Captain that had snuck up on Andal. Trying to put a knife between his ribs. The familiar snap and ring of a Golden Gun sounded. Six quick shots and the Captain, along with a few Vandals, were burned to ash. The exo pulled his cherished Ace of Spades from its holster and emptied the clip into the next wave. The two of them stopped dead as they turned their eyes back to the fallen walker. It lay on its side, the smell of charred metal and the heady ether of Fallen blood mingled with the scent of death and gunpowder. Its six legs were crushed, and the side of the massive tank stood ripped open like a tin can. The reactor still sparked as Shaxx tossed it aside. Sheer, brutal destruction.  
Lord Shaxx stood tall, fists wreathed in the remains of arc energy. Armor pockmarked and singed the Titan seemed a bit unsteady on his feet. Shaking his head, Cayde whistled in appreciation. Andal took the time to reload his rifle and get a quick sip of water from the canteen at his waist. The respite did not last. More fallen came scuttling forward. 

“I trust I can leave you two here?” Lord Shaxx asked, weariness lacing his voice. The titan had been fighting since the first day, unstopping. Seemingly unbreakable in the face of the teeming mass of fallen. Andal nodded and stowed his rifle. Reaching for his light, he felt the familiar bracing cold of the Void. Leaping into the air he summoned his treasured Duskbow from thin air. Pulling back the string, he let loose arrow after arrow until the oppressive darkness of the Void covered the field in front of him. Smiling he watched Cayde summon his Golden Gun and begin to wrack up a body count. Communications crackled as he heard the familiar voice of Saint-14. 

“Andal, pull back to the guns. The main artillery force is nearly on top of your position. We’re about to start carpet bombing the area. Get out of there.”

Andal did not respond. Instead, he vaulted over the low wall he had been using for cover, and grabbed Cayde by the back of his cloak. 

“Time to go. I’m sure you heard that.” he snapped. As they began the perilous retreat, the guns of the gap began to sing. Dropping hypersonic rounds at a blistering pace. Craters formed to his left and right where the rounds hit. The ground shook violently, and it was all he could do to keep moving. Stowing his rifle he pulled his hand cannon from his belt. Holding it in one hand, he reached out to Cayde with the other, who grabbed onto him. Together they raced back toward the battlements. As they neared, they could see more and more guardians. More fire teams working together to keep each other safe.  
A warlock got dragged fighting and screaming into the muck of the battle field. Andal put two well placed bullets into the dregs skull and offered the warlock a hand up. Hauling the small awoken to her feet, he asked 

“Where is Lord Saladin?”

“Up top. He’s looking for you Andal.” 

Nodding he shifted his gaze to Cayde. Absentmindedly he rubbed at the collar of his chest armor, knowing his wedding band hung on a chain around his neck. The setting sun struck through the seemingly endless clouds of soot that hung over the battlefield. In the distance he could see the bright white of the Traveler, and it calmed his frayed nerves. Taking a deep breath he made his way to the command center, knowing his husband was following close behind him. Stepping inside he spotted Lord Saladin at the command table, with Osiris and Saint-14 beside him. Saint looked up first, 

“Ah Andal! Glad you made it.” the titan vanguard exclaimed, before wrapping him in a rather awkward hug. Andal gave Osiris a nod, and looked down at the table. On it were the satellite feeds of the current state of the siege. Whistling at the sheer number of fallen on the feed, Andal said 

“We don’t have the numbers to fight back. We’ve lost hundreds of Guardians already. I was with two Sunbreakers and they fell. I barely managed to get out of there alive. Had it not been for Shaxx I would be dead.”

“I know.” rumbled Saladin, resting his chin in his hand for a moment. “We’ve lost dozens of fireteams in the last hour alone.”

“I won’t stand here and do nothing while Guardians die Saladin. I’m going back out there whether you three agree to it or not.” Andal stated flatly, as he refilled his bandolier with fresh magazines for both his rifle and hand canon. Eyeing his sniper, he secured it to his back. Pulling out his canteen he filled it, then stalked out of the command center before any of his fellow vanguard could say a word to stop him. Cayde grabbed his shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. Leaning into it Andal let his husband hold him for a brief moment before pulling back and giving him a quick kiss. Putting his hand out, he summoned his ghost with a thought. Nyx twirled her black fins nervously before chirping 

“Where to?”

“Where the fighting is the thickest. We have work to do.” he growled. The respite was enough to rekindle the unfettered hate he had for the Eliksni. They had assaulted the walls of his city for the last time. 

“Sending coordinates to your radar.” Nyx said as she floated back and forth. She disappeared in a flash of blue-white light, hiding in the pocket dimension that kept her safe. Hefting his gun he charged forward, down the hill and straight into the teeth of another wave of fallen. Manifesting a grenade, he pulled the pin with his teeth and tossed at the feet of half a dozen dregs. The smoke made them hiss and try to cover their eyes. Quick bursts of bullets dropped all six of them before the smoke dissipated. Baring his teeth Andal threw a knife between the eyes of a Vandal before sliding under the jab of a wretch. The crackling of the arc spear wielded by the four-armed alien missed his throat by an inch. Before his momentum stopped he leapt into the air, firing his rifle. Hot shell casings hit his bare hands, but he barely felt it. The wretch went down as he landed on his feet.  
To his left a titan wielding a shield made of the deep purple light of the Void used it to crack open the skull of a captain. The titan was covered in the amethyst sheen of Fallen blood, his once white armor drenched in it, and singed black in places by what Andal assumed were bullets. To his right, Cayde dodged to the left of yet another captain. The tell-tale gloss of an absorption shield told him he needed more than just a rifle to chew through it. Reaching for his light again, he pulled at the burning heat of a golden gun. Savoring the gleeful heat of it, Andal felt it coil within his chest. Instead of the bracing cold, he felt searing light, begging to be let loose of its shackles. Begging to leap forth from his hand and burn all that stood before him to cinders. Grinning he pulled the trigger and watched the captain crumble into ash. Turning the blazing gun down the field he sighted a Baron, crushing the neck of the struggling white-clad titan. With one, two, three shots the baron dropped the titan to the ground. Despite what must have been severe injuries the titan roared in fury. Two times the hammer-like fist of a titan’s strike hit the baron in the chest. The twelve foot tall eliksni fell to the ground, it’s chest a mass of ruined tissue and trailing blood. Without missing a beat the titan turned and charged forward.  
Giving Cayde a wolf-like grin Andal followed in the titan’s wake. Picking off stragglers who managed to escape the tempest of a charging titan’s wrath. The ground beneath his boots was blood soaked and uneven.  
As the night deepened the battle still raged, but slowly the encroaching mass of fallen began to push the Guardians back. There was no moon in the sky, but the battlefield was bright with muzzle flashes, the crash of artillery fire, glowing eyes of eliksni and of Guardians unleashing their light. Andal leaned against a crumbling wall, to catch his breath. The battle was growing desperate. They were up against a wall and they couldn’t hold out much longer. His comms crackled to life as the voice of Lord Saladin came through. 

“All fireteams fall back to the Ridgeback district, the wall is lost. I repeat all Guardians retreat to the Ridgeback district.”

Pushing himself up, Andal looked around, trying to find a way out of the mess he was in. What he saw made him sick. To his left the crushed body of a warlock, the same warlock he’d saved earlier in the day. Clutched in her lifeless hand was the shattered shell of her ghost. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and forced himself to move on. The fallen still poured over the field, it was if they never ended. The titan he had been following earlier jogged over to them, white armor even more singed than before, but alive. 

“Name’s Kian. Would rather not fall back alone.” he grunted, as he extended a hand. Truly massive, the titan had to stand well over six and a half feet tall. There were few that Andal, at 6’4”, had to crane his neck to speak to. Shaking the titan’s hand he said 

“Andal Brask, that’s Cayde-6. Let’s go. I have a feeling we’re going to run into some fierce resistance.”

The titan nodded, seemingly unphased by the Vanguard and his husband. Pulling out shotgun Kian said 

“Let’s go.” 

As it turned out the three of them had pushed out well beyond the other fireteams, they were surrounded on all sides by Fallen. 

“Nyx, patch me to Saint now!” he snapped, as he once again ducked incoming fire. 

“Andal? What is it? Where are you?”

“Cayde, myself, and a titan named Kian pushed too far out. We’re surrounded on all sides. Do not, I repeat do not send back up. Focus on the city. We will either make it or die.” he said shortly, as he ran his rifle dry. Once again, he stood against insurmountable odds. Once again, he and Cayde stood together, if they died here that would be the end of it. Reaching for the coiling heat of another golden gun, he unleashed his light. In the distance he could see the gap they had been headed toward but they were pinned down. Muzzle flashes in the distance told him a fireteam still held the gap, but he had no time to reach out. The three of them were fighting for their survival. Pain blossomed in his chest, the steel plates had finally given out under the constant barrage. He could feel the blood beginning to pool in his lungs, and the unmistakable pain of a shattered rib. Putting his hand cannon to his skull he pulled the trigger.  
In moments he was up and fighting once again. All his aches and pains were gone, the blisters on his heels, the cut on his forehead, and most importantly, the bullet in his lung.  
The night wore on, he died over and over again. Each time drug down screaming into the black of night by glowing eyes. Over and over again he was revived, and fought on. It felt as if the tide of Fallen would never cease. The encroaching masses chittering and screaming their hate for humanity to the black skies above and to the barely visible Traveler.  
As dawn began to break, he caught a glimpse of a skiff in full retreat. Not taking the time to ponder what that meant he kept firing. The number of fallen began to dwindle as the sun continued to rise. By the time it had fully crested the horizon, the aliens were in full retreat.  
They had won. Taking a shaky breath, Andal sat down on a block of rubble. Lifting his head, he let out a chuckle that soon turned into full blown laughter. Cayde slung an arm around his shoulder and began to laugh with him. Patching into the public frequencies, the one even the citizens of the City could hear. 

“Hunter Vanguard Andal Brask come in Tower, over.”

“This is Tower, go ahead, over.” came the voice of the Speaker

“Looks like we got ‘em on the run. Vanguard headed home. Over.”

“Good work Brask. Safe journey home. Over.”

“Roger that. Over and out.”

Grinning ear to ear, Andal climbed the wall in front of him and hefted his rifle to the sky. Letting loose a scream of triumph, half exhilaration and half exhaustion, he let loose one of the flares he still had at his belt. Bright red, the flare streaked toward the sky, where it was joined by thousands more. Each one represented a Guardian that still lived. The City was safe, and the Fallen would never have the numbers to assault them on a scale like that again.


End file.
